books to read?

[harbingerofdoom]

So im kind of on vacation at the moment and nowhere near my xbox. that means no gaming at all... (for three weeks no less!)
i have read all the books that i have so here is everyones chance to throw out some suggestions on what to pick up.

Ill throw some of my favs out there, but obviously i have read them already (some several times)

Dune (all eight books)
Enders Game (ya... its kind of a kids book, but its pretty cool actually)
The War Against The Chtorr Series (seriously great books!)
Sum Of All Fears

your suggestions?

[TopazDolphin]

How about Stephen King? The Shining and Misery were really good.

Richard Matheson's Button, Button short story collection is also a good one.

Thomas Harris' Red Dragon and The Silence of the Lambs are two more excellent books.

Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil by John Berendt is a great read.

I could go on and list my entire library... XD too many good books.

BTW, love your avatar.

[harbingerofdoom]

misery was great.. loved that one along with the short story collections (night shift and i cant remember the other one i read).

someone else suggested midnight in the garden of good and evil... thats two suggestions for that one so it looks like i will have to pick that one up.

and thanks... everyone loves muppets... especially when they show up in unexpected places :D

[TheClashTheClashTheClash]

I read His Dark Materials series last year. Its very good and fairly easy, although it does contrast my religous beliefs, its still good.

The Stranger is pretty good, we just got done with that in school and now we are reading Native Son and it is good up to this point.

Just don't read Twilight

[Cubecubed]

I read His Dark Materials series last year. Its very good and fairly easy, although it does contrast my religous beliefs, its still good.

The Stranger is pretty good, we just got done with that in school and now we are reading Native Son and it is good up to this point.

Just don't read Twilight

this.

the only books ive gotten into were as follows:

The Da vinci code(literally read in one night)

The harry potter series

The Eragon Series(all 3 excellent books, just stay far away from the movie.)

[TheClashTheClashTheClash]

this.

the only books ive gotten into were as follows:

The Da vinci code(literally read in one night)

The harry potter series

The Eragon Series(all 3 excellent books, just stay far away from the movie.)

Yes, all of those are good. I haven't read the third in the Eragon series yet, though. And I would recomend Angels and Demons if you liked Da Vinci Code. Angles and Demons is better.

[harbingerofdoom]

i just cant bring myself to read the harry potter books... i have no idea why that is...

[mysticneji]

Well, I don't have to many books but a few that I have read that I really liked were:

Stephen Kings - The Stand
The Green Mile (also Stephen King)
Dante's Divine Comedy (you know, as in Dante's Inferno and so on)
Lord of the Flies
Beowulf


There are a few others but it's been so long since I've read them that I can't really remember.

[TheKrazyKatzzz]

Neji, that list is the most eclectic thing ever, lol. What translation of Beowulf did you go with?

Anyway, I would recommend Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood. You seemed to like some science fiction, and that is my favorite science fiction novel.

[trench762]

Hitchhikers guide to the galaxy series is one of my favs, also a fan of Hunter S Thompson

[Cubecubed]

i just cant bring myself to read the harry potter books... i have no idea why that is...

dude just do it. They are amazing books. I started reading them when they first came out when i was like 11 or 12, and i read the last on when i was like 19. so i pretty much grew up with them. they are wonderful books.its a series that became popular for a good reason(unlike some Vampire series i wont name.)

[hawkofva]

So im kind of on vacation at the moment and nowhere near my xbox. that means no gaming at all... (for three weeks no less!)
i have read all the books that i have so here is everyones chance to throw out some suggestions on what to pick up.

Ill throw some of my favs out there, but obviously i have read them already (some several times)

Dune (all eight books)
Enders Game (ya... its kind of a kids book, but its pretty cool actually)
The War Against The Chtorr Series (seriously great books!)
Sum Of All Fears

your suggestions?
"Ender's Game" may be a kids book, but the sequels are all adult reading. Deep stuff too, and Card just put out another one that takes place at the end of Game, more of a direct sequel than the others, called "Ender in Exile". "Speaker for the Dead", "Xenocide", and "Children of the Mind" are later, but this one sets them up very well.
Also check out the Shadow Saga, it's about Bean and the events on Earth during and immediately after Game, though they don't get quite as philosophical as the Ender sequels.
All by Card, of course. The Shadow novels also play a bit into Exile.
I'd try to give you an idea of the timelines, but relativity kind of screws with them.

If you want to sort of go in order, read them as "Ender's Game", the Shadow novels, "Ender in Exile", then the other Ender Sequels as mentioned above.

[Der_Lex]

If you like Dune, you might want to check out Peter F. Hamilton's books, especially his Night's Dawn trilogy. He's one of my favorite sci fi authors.

[harbingerofdoom]

hitchhikers guide was great... read that series :D

hawkofva: thanks for the heads up, I have enders shadow unfortunately i left it at home when i ment to take it with me, argh! but i wasnt aware that there was a new one... i will have to get that... its a really great series of books.

Der_Lex: i will have to check that out... Dune was the first novel i ever read (at age 11 no less) and thats pretty much been the standard that everything has had to meet since then.

[zack10house]

as someone else mentioned, Dan Brown's Angels & Demons is excellent. read about half of it so far

[Julio_Strikes_Back]

Forrest Gump and Gump and Company (the sequel) are better than the movie ever could be.

[nashphx13z]

Books to read:

And Then There Were None (also published as Ten Little Indians) by Agatha Christie

If you haven't already, then read To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee and Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck.

[tattooeddragon]

Chopper 1 through 12.
http://haydenblaz.cart.net.au/cat/2004629.html

Hilly

[Pandastrike]

Fight Club

[mysticneji]

Neji, that list is the most eclectic thing ever, lol. What translation of Beowulf did you go with?



I'll have to get back to you on that man. I have it packed somewhere and it's been a while since I've read it. I'll let you know though once I find it.

[bmcorrier]

Fight Club

Seconded. Along with Rant, Choke, Lullaby, Snuff, and Diary. All by the twisted mind of Chuck Palahniuk.

[BayouBengal032]

Watchmen.

Ten char.

[ZOMG_A_RANCOR]

none. books r dum. read teh interwebz.

[Transbrak]

Seconded. Along with Rant, Choke, Lullaby, Snuff, and Diary. All by the twisted mind of Chuck Palahniuk.

This is truth.

I'll add Survivor to the list though.

[harbingerofdoom]

none. books r dum. read teh interwebz.

you shall go far in life im sure:rolleyes:

[Zeleii]

To Kill A Mockingbird (Yes I love this book)

Harper Lee is a pretty good author... the story and motivations behind the characters were great.

Dialogue was seamless... it makes you think too.

I read it in 9th grade and was hooked, the trial part was really good... (I like reading about that kinda stuff)

[nowimnothing]

Seconded. Along with Rant, Choke, Lullaby, Snuff, and Diary. All by the twisted mind of Chuck Palahniuk.

I was begining if I was going to be the only one who suggested Palahniuk. I've read all of those except Rant (which I own, just haven't gotten around to yet). I'm reading Haunted now.. it's pretty good but not keeping me glued to it like his other books.

Another great author is Christopher Moore. Lamb, A Dirty Job, Fluke, and Island Of The Sequined Love Nun are all great reads.. check him out, fantastic author.

[ZOMG_A_RANCOR]

My all time favorite book is Catch-22. Its an awesome read. Not too shabby.

Crime and Punishment is awesome for those who have the patience.

I just read blindness which was interesting. (pre-movie)

My next read is going to be The Road.

I also like reading zombie books just for the hell of it. Most are 4th grade level, but i dont care, i love zombies.

[harbingerofdoom]

I also like reading zombie books just for the hell of it. Most are 4th grade level, but i dont care, i love zombies.

at least you will be prepared when the zombie attacks start

[ZOMG_A_RANCOR]

at least you will be prepared when the zombie attacks start

Lol. Depends. I already decided that if it is a "slow zombie" uprising im going to try my best to fight and survive. If its a fast zombie (28 days) im probably going to kill myself. Im kinda pudgey so the whole running away from deranged maulers things...yeah...it would end in pain.

[HardRocker12]

I really enjoy reading biographies of famous rockers.

So far i have read Heavier Than Heaven (Kurt Cobain) and Golf Monster (Alice Cooper). Both are very good books and I reccomend them. I am currently reading Scar Tissue (Anthony Kiedis) and so far it is also really good.

[Fausttt]

The Dexter Series:

Darkly Dreaming Dexter
Dearly Devoted Dexter
Dexter in the Dark

If you watch the show, it's ok, the books go a COMPLETELY different route than the show. I do actually like the show a bit better than the books, but the books are good reads.

Also the Dresden Files are really good,fun books.it's about a modern day wizard in chicago fighting all the things that go bump in the night. It has a sly wit and humor while still keeping up the action. His particular lore is a slight variant of the traditional high fantasy lore but still interesting.
By Jim Butcher:
Storm Front \
Fool Moon - you can get these 3 together in 1 hardback
Grave Peril /
Summer Knight
Death Masks
Blood Rites
Dead Beat
Proven Guilty
White Night
Small Favor

[culturedog]

Since you like sci-fi I'll recommend The Forever War by Joe Haldeman. For some very fun sci-fi adventures, there are Harry Harrison's Stainless Steel Rat books. You can probably get them all in one collection by now.

I also love Roger Zelazny's Amber series, starting with Nine Princes in Amber. For some weirder, more David Lynch type stuff, check out Haruki Murakami's Hard-Boiled Wonderland and The End of the World.

On the horror front, I recently read and enjoyed Heart-Shaped Box by Stephen King's son Joe Hill. For classic horror stuff I'd recommend just about anything from H.P. Lovecraft (just watch out for 'posthumous collaborations' really written by August Derleth well after Lovecraft died).

Have fun reading!

[hawkofva]

Just watch out for 'posthumous collaborations' really written by August Derleth well after Lovecraft died.
Watch for something similar if you start reading Ludlum. Case in point; the second Bourne Trilogy is quite the downhill tumble from the quality of the first three.

[Bonez]

Yes, all of those are good. I haven't read the third in the Eragon series yet, though. And I would recomend Angels and Demons if you liked Da Vinci Code. Angles and Demons is better.

I was just going to suggest Angels and Demons. I just reread it, and even though I knew what was going to happen, I still couldn't put it down. Such a great book. I can't wait to see the movie.

[Gatsby 42]

I'm pretty big into read, the last book I finished was Twilight. Probably going to continue onto the second Twilight bock. I also bought Barack Obama's book The Audacity of Hope and am planing on reading that over Thanksgiving break.

Has anybody here read Scar Tissue by Anthony Keidas? I'm considering buying it, but wanna make sure it's a decent read before I do.

[CycoMiko138]

For sci-fi, check out Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson. It's a modern day sci-fi classic, and actually made it onto TIME magazine's list of the top 100 novels of all time. Both Ilium and Olympos by Dan Simmons are also pretty amazing.

[Skr33]

If you want to read something incredibly funny, you need to read You Suck by Christopher Moore, or basically anything by him. He's a bit lewd, but incredibly hilarious. The man is a genius, had me in stitches throughout the book.

[visualdeity]

Isaac Asimov's grand series of books. In internal chronological order:

The Caves of Steel
The Naked Sun
The Robots of Dawn
Robots and Empire
Prelude to Foundation
Forward the Foundation
Foundation
Foundation and Empire
Second Foundation
Foundation's Edge
Foundation and Earth

There are 3 that fit in between Robots and Empire and Prelude to Foundation, but I've not read them. All excellent books.

[hmxsean]

I'm going to suggest the Nightwatch series. It is a Russian (translation is excellent) series about two rival magic faction in modern day Moscow. Its very funny, fantastical, and even drops some philosophy on you.

If you aren't prone to depression I would suggest "The Road" by Cormac McCarthy. Easily one of the best books I have ever read.

[theantkid12]

I'm going to suggest the Nightwatch series. It is a Russian (translation is excellent) series about two rival magic faction in modern day Moscow. Its very funny, fantastical, and even drops some philosophy on you.

If you aren't prone to depression I would suggest "The Road" by Cormac McCarthy. Easily one of the best books I have ever read.
Wait, there were more Night Watch books? Holy ****, I had no idea!

[visualdeity]

Oh yes, as long as I'm at it: read the Wheel of Time series (well... it might be safer to hold off on that to see if the replacement author completely blows the final book), and the Song of Ice and Fire series. Both great reads.

Also, some CS Lewis never went amiss: Chronicles of Narnia is a great series, "kids book" label be damned, and his Space Trilogy is also awesome.

And depending on how "kiddy" you want to get, I HIGHLY recommend reading the Chronicles of Prydain (by Lloyd Alexander), as well as Madeline L'Engle's A Wrinkle in Time, A Wind in the Door, A Swiftly Tilting Planet, Many Waters, and An Acceptable Time. Labeled as kids books, to be sure, but worth reading anyway. I personally don't care if books are considered "for kids", as long as they're good reads.

Finally, for someone who's not that well-known, I recommend reading The Calm Before the Storm by Joe Lawson. Good first book from this guy, although I wish he'd write the second two in the series already. If you find his web site, and e-mail him, he'll send you the first chapter in a word doc, so you can try before you buy.

[theantkid12]

I recommend to anyone who hasn't read, "The Pact" by Jodi Picoult and "Ender's Game" by Orson Scott Card.

The Pact is an amazing love story, you have to read it.

Ender's Game tells a great story that reminds me weirdly of "Halo: The Fall of Reach". It is a pretty big series too.

[Der_Lex]

I'm going to suggest the Nightwatch series. It is a Russian (translation is excellent) series about two rival magic faction in modern day Moscow. Its very funny, fantastical, and even drops some philosophy on you.


I've only read the first book of the Nightwatch trilogy, but it was a great read, much more fun than the films (although those weren't bad either). It has a nice dose of typical Russian world-weary cynicism in it that I can't help but love.

I also second Culturedog's suggestion of the Amber series by Zelazny earlier.

Another good modern sci fi/fantasy writer is Tim Powers. The Anubis Gates is one of the most fun time travel stories I've ever read.

[Jglaubman]

What's a book?

[RockBandRocker]

Twilight!

Yeah, I said it. READ IT!

[svartikins]

"The Lies of Locke Lamora" by Scott Lynch is one of the best books I have ever read. Go read it now.

[peachtosser25]

Watchmen.

honestly I scold anyone who is excited about the movie and hasnt read the book.
once you do, the movie will be that much more epic.

[Der_Lex]

Watchmen.

honestly I scold anyone who is excited about the movie and hasnt read the book.
once you do, the movie will be that much more epic.

I don't know... the problem is that the graphic novel is so good, that I don't think any movie can really do it justice. Still, I like what Snyder has shown us so far. The DVD extras sound particularly exciting (an animated 'Tales of the Black Freighter that can be watched separately or intercut in the feature itself, a 'mockumentary' based on Under the Hood).

Still, this only tells you how amazing the graphic novel is. Highly recommended.

[darkrei9n]

Anne McAffrey's Dragon Riders of Pern series are GREAT.

[onduvalst]

Forget Twilight! read the Sookie Stackhouse series by Charlaine Harris, better and less preteen. I also suggest Sick Puppy by Carl Hiaasen, its a dark twisted comedy.

[Zeleii]

Watchmen.

honestly I scold anyone who is excited about the movie and hasnt read the book.
once you do, the movie will be that much more epic.
Too late, I was gonna pick that baby up a next paycheck... 20$

[nowimnothing]

If you want to read something incredibly funny, you need to read You Suck by Christopher Moore, or basically anything by him. He's a bit lewd, but incredibly hilarious. The man is a genius, had me in stitches throughout the book.

Take this man's advice! Nice to see another Christopher Moore fan.. there are so few people I meet that know who he is. Of course I live in the south where reading is generally frowned upon and will get you burned at the stake lol.

[RockBandRocker]

Anne McAffrey's Dragon Riders of Pern series are GREAT.

The Dragon Riders of Pern series was one of the first fantasy/adventure series I ever read. I love how she has trilogies that form a larger part of the series.

[jayou521]

I read His Dark Materials series last year. Its very good and fairly easy
I'll second this. The Golden Compass, The Subtle Knife, and The Amber Spyglass~ easily my favorite novels. (The Golden Compass movie paled in comparison with the book) I first read this series when I was younger. At the time I really disliked reading, yet these books really pulled me in and I couldn't stop. I recently reread all three and they are just as amazing as they were back then~